And He Held the World in His Hand
by Green Amber
Summary: Aaroniro Aluluerie remembers a little girl he once knew and has never been able to forget. Warning: Heavy spoilers for the current arc.


**Title:** And He Held the World in his Hand

**Series:** Bleach

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing

**Character(s)/Pairings:** Aaroniro Aluluerie (Kaien Shiba), Rukia Kuchiki; Rukia/Kaien

**Rating:** PG-13

**Warnings:** Spoilers for Chapters 262 - 267. Worst case senerio: character death.

**Summary:** Aaroniro Aluluerie remembers a little girl he once knew and has never been able to forget.

**Notes:** Some of the dialogue has been borrowed from the manga.

* * *

The girl lay in a puddle of blood, unmoving. He stared down at her corpse, watching for any sign of life. He had hoped for an opportunity to torture her some more. It was strange, out of all of the jumbled memories he had from all of the Hollows he had consumed; his memory of her had never vanished. He could still remember the way her entire body had trembled on that night, so long ago, when he had first spoken to her.

_"Hello Little Girl."_

She hadn't been trembling this time. He had wanted her to shake so bad that she wouldn't be able to stand or speak. He had wanted to show her how that night should have gone. Him tearing through her petite body with his tentacles, watching her face as her precious 'Kaien-dono' devoured her delicious soul.

_"Do I mean that much to you?"_

Tears had actually come to her eyes when he talked to her. She hadn't cried before. He would have remembered tears. And the thing was: those tears weren't because she was unhappy or scared. No. She had been HAPPY to see him.

_"What the heck are you actin' all weird for? C'mon!! Everyone loves me!! You should be happy to see your Vice-Captain Kaien alive and well!! ...What? It was a joke. If you don't play along, I'll look like an idiot..."_

He hadn't expected her to cry that early in the game. She had been smiling as she tried to hold back tears. He had talked to her, and it had just been like old times. Him, cracking jokes; and her, scolding him for not dealing with the situation seriously. It had been altogether strange and comforting.

He hadn't wanted it to end.

He had tried to get back on track. He had played with her emotions, demanding that she pay for his death by offering her own life in contribution. Something had jerked within him when she told him that he could have it only after she had saved her friend (and somehow, he knew that the reason he was disappointed wasn't because she asked him to wait awhile).

_"Your friends' heads. Bring them to me."_

The rage in her eyes had been exquisite and the way she screamed at him, it had filled him with something like pride. His little girl had grown since the last time he saw her. She pulled out her sword and fought against him, and for a moment he felt something that felt like despair: she was too much like him - too much like Kaien... Always rushing in to fight against an enemy that was impossible to beat in order to protect somebody else.

Kuchiki had always been smart. Really smart. When she discovered his aversion to the light, she had used that to her advantage and revealed the monster that he had become. The horror that sprung up in her eyes was breath taking. But she still hadn't crumbled down into a frightened heap, even when he revealed that he was a monster that had consumed other Hollows in order to become as powerful as he now was. It was so different from before. She really had changed in all of those years that they had been apart.

And she had fought to the end. Having returned to his adopted form - the body of Kaien Shiba, Aaroniro Aluluerie crouched down beside the small body impaled on the sharp tongs of Nejibana. Her sightless eyes stared back up at him and he noted with interest that she still held onto her broken blade - Sode no Shirayuki... He could still remember the day when she first awoken the blade, her smile had been absolutely contagious. He remembered her laughing as he picked her up, spinning her in the air.

_"I told you, you could do it! I told you!"_

_"Look at her Kaien-dono! Sode no Shirayuki! Look at her!"_

It had been the first time he had ever seen a smile quite like that. The girl barely smiled as it was, and at that moment, he knew she'd be a heartbreaker (he had teased her mercilessly after that). He had grinned and raved about her sword to anyone who would listen (and some who wouldn't - Hollows, for example). His wife had beamed at him and had remarked how like a father he was to Kuchiki. He remembered that he hadn't quite liked that comment.

Reaching out a hand, he pulled Nejibana from her stomach. The puddle of blood grew bigger. Nejibana screamed in his hand.

He had trained Kuchiki with Nejibana. She was a quick learner and often surprised him by improvising - using both kido and sword arts to try to gain an upper hand. He had once cut her upper arm when she failed to dodge in time. He remembered dropping Nejibana in horror at what he had done, before grabbing Kuchiki and pressing his hands to the wound. She had told him that it was her fault, that she should have dodged it if only she had been paying better attention. He never forgave himself.

_"She has talent, Byakuya! The only thing that's stopping her from becoming third seat in our division is you. Are you going to stand in her way for the rest of her life?"_

_"I have nothing to say to you Vice-Captain Shiba."_

_"To hell with that, Byakuya. Is it because she looks so much like your dead wife? Is that all the girl is to you? A walking memorial portrait of Hisana? That's sick."_

_"Silence. You out-step your place, Vice-Captain Shiba. You know nothing of Hisana, you know nothing about what my wife went through."_

_"My apologies, Captain Kuchiki. You're right, I know nothing of Lady Kuchiki or her trials. But I do know that Rukia deserves a chance. She has the talent and the skills, she could be great one day if you only let her."_

There were the remains of tears on her cheeks. She had been staring straight at him when he stuck Nejibana through her stomach. His face had been the last thing she had seen before darkness had claimed her. He reached forward now, it was time he finished the job he had set out to do, no sense in letting his hard-won prize fall into the hands of some lesser being.

So, why were his hands gently picking up her broken body to cradle it against his chest, instead of devouring her as he had fully intended to do that night so long ago? A gloved hand reached up and ruffled her hair. It had been one of his favorite pastimes. He had always greeted her by reaching out and messing up the hair that the Kuchiki maids had spent so much time trying to tame. She would let out an indignant squeak and slap his hands away, before scolding him on his lack of professionalism. Sometimes, if he was lucky, she would even forget all of her troubles for a moment. It was those moments that he came to live for.

_"I am Vice-Captain Kaien Shiba! Nice to meet you!"_

_"... Yes... Hello..."_

_"... 'Yes', 'Hello'... What the hell is your problem!?"_

_"Huh...!?"_

_"The Vice-Captain introduced himself to you! You should give your name and say 'Nice to meet you too'! Your name!?"_

_"... I'm... Rukia Kuchiki"_

_"Ok... And then?"_

_"N... Nice to meet you!!"_

_"Good! That's the way Kuchiki!"_

There was no reaction this time. Her empty indigo eyes continued to stare up at him, through him. His hand slipped through her hair to fall limply at his side. Blood had now stained his uniform, but he could care less. He cradled her in his arms, crouching in the darkness.

_"As long as you're in my division I'll be your friend even if I die."_

Aaroniro Aluluerie hugged her tightly to his chest, holding her so hard that it was a miracle that her spine didn't snap.

"Kuchiki?"

No answer came from her lips, just a small trail of blood from the corner of her mouth.

"Kuchiki?"

The broken edge of Shirayuki poked him in the stomach. He ignored it. There would be no more battles against that beautiful sword, it no longer had a soul.

"Rukia?"

Nejibana continued to scream. Salt water began to swirl around his ankles.

"Rukia?"

Aaroniro Aluluerie was a success story among Aizen's army. A Gillian, who had risen through the ranks to become a member of Aizen-sama's prized Espadas. Even the Arrancar held him in respect, and refused to battle him for his position as the Ninth Espada. He was an unstoppable powerhouse, who was always on the lookout for more power. Fueled by the idea of revenge on a little blue-eyed girl who destroyed him when he was a mere Hollow, nothing could stop Aaroniro Aluluerie... except for the fulfillment of that revenge.

"Rukia?"

Darkness closed in.


End file.
